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Kurt Vonnegut/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim & Moby Tim and Moby are at a barbecue. Suddenly, two alien creatures shaped like toilet plungers approach. Their heads look like white gloves with one eye in the center of each palm. TIM: Umm, do you guys need directions or something? Can you even understand me? One of the creatures responds by pushing down on its plunger and making electronic sounds. MOBY: Beep. The other creature moves toward Tim on its suction cup base and uses its glove to hand Tim a letter. TIM: Okay, then. The creatures make sounds, wave goodbye, and bounce away on their suction cups. Moby waves to them. Tim reads from the typed letter. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, who was Kurt Vonnegut? Sincerely, Billy. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., was an American writer who lived from 1922 to 2007. He wrote poems, essays, memoirs, plays, and short stories, but he's best remembered for the novels he wrote in the 1960s and 70s. An image shows Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, Kurt Vonnegut used his novels to ask questions about the meaning of life, the purpose of religion, and the good and bad aspects of technology. Images show a silhouette with a question mark on its head, religious symbols, and a mushroom cloud. TIM: Vonnegut grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. A U.S. map shows Indianapolis, Indiana. TIM: As a young man, he studied chemistry at Cornell University. An image shows Vonnegut in a chemistry lab. TIM: But while he was in college, World War II broke out, and he joined the Army. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No, it didn't go that well for him. In 1945, he was captured by the Nazis. An image shows Vonnegut with his arms up surrendering to a Nazi soldier at gunpoint. TIM: He was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp near the German city of Dresden. A map shows Dresden, Germany. TIM: Shortly after he arrived, the Allies firebombed the city. It was one of the most destructive actions of the entire war. More than 25,000 civilians died. An image shows Allied planes dropping bombs on the city, engulfing it in flames. TIM: Vonnegut saw it all. He was even forced to clean up some of the bodies in the aftermath. Even though he knew the Nazi's were responsible for the war, watching the destruction of Dresden horrified him. An image shows Vonnegut carrying a body in the burnt-out ruins of the city. MOBY: Beep. TIM: After the war, Vonnegut held a number of jobs: police reporter, publicist, teacher, car salesman, and advertising executive. An image shows Vonnegut as a smiling car salesman. TIM: He also began writing short stories and paperback novels. They looked like pulpy science fiction novels, but they were full of clever social commentary. The Sirens of Titan uses a story about interplanetary war to ask questions about free will and the meaning of life. An image shows two women and an alien on the book's cover. MOBY: Beep? TIM: I know, it sounds pretty complicated, but really, it's not. Vonnegut used lots of humor to make his points, and wrote in a simple style that's enjoyable and easy to read. In 1963, the novel Cat's Cradle made him a celebrity. An image shows the book. TIM: It tells the story of how humanity is accidentally destroyed by a substance called Ice-Nine, which freezes all the water on Earth. An image shows people and objects encased in ice. TIM: Ice-Nine is not so different from the atomic bomb. It's a technological advance that's neither good nor evil; but it's only real use is to wipe out human life on a vast scale. A pop-up image shows a mushroom cloud. TIM: Cat's Cradle also describes a made-up religion called Bokononism, which encourages its followers to have faith in whatever false ideas make them happy. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Hey, it's a thought-provoking book, whether you agree with Vonnegut or not. Anyway, his best-known novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, was published in 1969. An image shows the book. It's full title is Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade. TIM: The book includes his recollections of the destruction he saw in Dresden, and his reaction to the tumultuous events of the 1960s. An image shows Vonnegut in the Dresden ruins. TIM: It also includes time-travel, and a race of aliens called Tralfamadorians. A UFO takes flight behind Tim. TIM: These little guys look like toilet plungers, but they're able to see in four dimensions, instead of three. They encourage the hero of the book to accept life's tragedies, since he can't do anything to change them. An animation shows Tralfamadorians. They are the same toilet plunger creatures that appeared in the opening of the video. TIM: Because it condemned violence, Slaughterhouse-Five became popular with young people who were protesting the Vietnam War. An image shows a protest rally against the war. TIM: Vonnegut's next book, Breakfast of Champions, only increased his popularity. An image shows the book. TIM: Like many of his other works, it takes a strange approach to storytelling. Vonnegut constantly veers away from the plot to tell jokes and make observations about modern life. He also throws in dozens of little doodles he drew himself. An image shows Vonnegut's doodles of an eat sign, smiley face balloon, apple, pirate, and stegosaurus. TIM: All in all, Kurt Vonnegut published 14 novels before his death in 2007. An image shows Vonnegut. TIM: And he's regarded as one of the most creative, original American writers of the 20th century. So, what did you guys think? Was that a good overview of Kurt Vonnegut's life and career? The Tralfamadorians make sounds and move in response to Tim's question. TIM: I don't know what you guys are saying. MOBY: Beep. TIM: So... what goes? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts Category:BrainPOP English Transcripts